As we exit 2022, what does 2023 have in store?By Jerry Plank
It’s always a thrill to write the last column of the year because an ending is always followed up with a new beginning. New beginnings are filled with greater expectations of what’s to come and hope that the coming year will be better than the one before. Humans seem to be infinitely more positive as the year ends, and many of us reflect upon what has just transpired. So, to cap off 2022 it is only appropriate that we take a small look back to see how we can make a large jump forward in a positive and constructive manner in 2023.
For many, the end of the year is a time of religious significance. We celebrate the holiday season with decorative electric products and lights on our homes and businesses, a tradition that dates back to the early 20th century. It’s been held that in the 18th century, the tradition of using ornamental candles to celebrate the holiday season became more prevalent, making way for an associate of Thomas Edison, Edward H. Johnson, to design electric lights to adorn the trees.
What followed the work of Johnson was the creation of safety standards that address the hazards associated with such decorative products. Hazards created by seasonal decorative lights include, but are not limited to, electrical shocks to users and flame propagation, as the lights are in proximity of combustible materials. The propagation of flame can also be due to heat generated from the light sources or electrical plugs and receptacles by heat generated by overloading circuits.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and The American Christmas Tree Association (ACTA) are just a few groups who promote fire safety during the holiday season, when a quick search online would prove beneficial to keep the holidays festive and without tragedy. A few common-sense items:
- All electrical products used during the holidays should bear a Listing label from a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) indicating conformance to an accepted safety standard such as ANSI/UL 588: UL Standard for Safety, Seasonal and Holiday Decorative Products or another related American National Standards Institute (ANSI) safety standard.
- Seasonal means just that, seasonal, and products bearing compliance to UL 588 should not be left installed all year round—a condition that can lead to electrical insulation failure or electrical connection failure due to climatic conditions and UV damage due to exposure to the sun. We all know that neighbor who leaves the seasonal lights up all year; for the sake of safety, don’t be that neighbor.
- Just because decorative lights have a plug on one end and a receptacle on the other end to facilitate wiring does not mean that you can keep adding strings of lights together to form a 10-mile string. Each lighting string or ornament has a limitation
of how many interconnected sections are permitted. To prevent an electrical overload, you should never exceed the recommendations of the manufacturer.
- Seasonal lighting products are to be used indoors, and when additionally approved by the NRTL, can be used outdoors in wet locations. An area of confusion has always been, can an outdoor lighting product be used indoors and the answer is yes, no, maybe? Typically, outdoor lighting products are subjected to more rigorous safety requirements pertaining to climatic conditions and exposure to UV from the sun. While most decorative outdoor lights may be suitable indoors, caution should prevail to determine that the heat generated will not be a problem when used on a live tree. Get clarification from the manufacturer just to be sure the indoor use is acceptable to them.
- Outdoor seasonal lighting products must be connected to a GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter) receptacle such that any breaking of the ground circuit or unintentional exposure to rain and melting snow will de-energize the circuit, thus preventing an electrical shock. Nuisance tripping of the GFCI receptacle can happen if the interconnecting plug/receptacle gets wet; this can be mitigated by wrapping the connecting points with electrical tape or other non-absorptive material.
- All seasonal lighting products should be visually inspected for abraided or damaged electrical leads, broken lamps and/or LED sources prior to use—especially if you’re using lights from previous seasons.
- All extension cords used to create a seasonal masterpiece should be NRTL Listed for that purpose; those used outdoors need to be approved for outdoor use. Don’t bury cords or wires in the ground and keep all electrical lighting products away from areas where the lights, wiring or plugs can be submerged in water during normal use. Read all warning labels provided and review the instructions for critical safety information.
The bottom line on electrical and fire safety for seasonal festive and holiday lights is: when in doubt, check it out and never leave items on when unattended. So, as we leave 2022 behind, what does 2023 have in store?
Predicting what can happen in 2023 is like suggesting that we can rewrite George Orwell’s prophetic 1984 with greater accuracy. Our industry is, however, positioned to better the human condition, help to increase productivity, and spearhead the need to conserve electricity with our current crop of LED products.
Next year can be a boon to lighting manufacturers, lighting designers and the like, and first on the list of what 2023 should have in store is greater cooperation between lighting manufacturers and component vendors. Single-source critical components from politically unstable countries should be avoided, which means manufacturers need to demand greater interchangeability of LED drivers and LEDs.
Demand for LED products will be strong in 2023 as municipalities continue to shed electrical loads as communities grow, while our electrical grid and power generation are thwarted trying to use green technology that is not technologically ready to fill the void.
NRTLs that are assessed by OSHA need to work together, paving the way for a single program to address component substitutions without impacting the production of LED products or creating field problems stemming from poor component substitutions.
ANSI committees should demand more standardization of critical components and LED sources, making substitutions seamless so that the performance of LED products does not suffer in regards to color rendition, flicker, source life, and serviceability and repair in the field.
There will be much more to attack in 2023 and greater success is possible if we all focus on improving our industry like a laser beam. Oh, and one last thought, does 2+2=5? We’ll see in ’23.